A list of things consumed by my head, heart, eyes, ears and stomach lately.

The Dry by Jane Harper

Maybe I’m not the best literary detective, but this book had me in the dark till the very end!  There’s nothing worse than a predictable ending, so I really appreciated the way Harper was able to keep you guessing, then give you an ending that felt like it was under your nose the entire time.  I also loved the cast of characters she created.  From the likable main character to the colorful townspeople, they were all well flushed out and entertaining.  The whole time I read it, I felt this sense of lurking danger and suspicion, that was both creepy and enticing.  Give it a shot!

Good Thing by Leon Bridges

Guys, are you straight wearing this album out like I am??  It feels more up-tempo and poppy than his debut album, but in a very good way.  And despite the change in tone, it still has those very lovely low-key slow songs that he does so well.  I’m very impressed by it!

Arrested Development 

Did you guys watch Season 5 yet?  I want to tell you I loved it, but honestly, I could barely remember what happened in Season 4 (and much of Season 4 didn’t makes sense to me because I couldn’t remember where we left off in Season 3…), so a lot of the jokes and references were not landing like they probably should have.  Still, this was Will Arnett at his Gob-damn best (see what I did there?) and I’m now referring to red hair as “Howard Red.”

A Big-@$$ Bag of Granola

I ran out of no-bake granola and really wanted the real deal baked stuff, but because I could barely handle the thought of having the oven on for 45 minutes, I decided to make A BIG batch and hope it would last me all the way through the rest of the summer.  Luckily, this Naturally Sweetened Toasted Coconut Granola is A) already a favorite of mine and B) makes something like 10 cups of granola.  I thought I may have burnt it, but it just tastes really delicious.

Kaleo at Red Rocks

Way back in 2015, Joey and I bought $12 tickets to see Guardians of the Galaxy at Film on the Rocks and were treated to a pre-show performance by an unheard of Icelandic band called Kaleo.  Flash forward to last month when we got to see them headline their own show at Red Rocks!  From Row 7 with Hannah and Josh, no less!  Our babies have come so far.

This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

This was our June book club read and what a discussion it was!  This is the story of a couple with five children, the youngest of whom is born Claude but becomes Poppy at the age of five.  It was so eye-opening, mind-opening, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.  Mostly, it just sounds very hard to be a parent.

Peaches

It’s stone fruit season, y’all!  Just kidding, I don’t say y’all, but it felt right in that moment 🙂  Feels like strawberries had just started to get really good when cherries then peaches popped up at the Farmers’ Market.  So summer fruit seasons have been a little condensed but here we are with peaches in hand, feeling our very happiest.  Or is that just me?  I’ve yet to have that PERFECT PEACH moment yet, but I KNOW it’s coming and for that, I am very excited.

The Big Lebowski at Film on the Rocks

I took my family to Red Rocks on Monday night to celebrate my birthday and it was just the best!  We ate Illegal Pete’s, listened to two mediocre bands, laughed uncomfortably at a comedian, ate red velvet cupcakes (they were melty but OH SO GOOD!  Joey maybe dropped some crumbs in a White Russian and I maybe ate them :P), then were treated to a Coen Brothers masterpiece that is somehow better and funnier every time I watch it?  Just a perfect night all around!

All the Wine

I’m your beer girl for real, but something about the heat of the summer has me preferring wine.  A chilled wine, specifically.  I’m not claiming to know anything about wine, I’m just claiming to have drunk many glasses this summer.

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

I won’t say this is a show you can’t live without, but it’s so easy to watch and I find it extremely quick-witted for a 30-minute comedy.  I mentioned to my sister that we were watching the most recent season and when she admitted she didn’t know what it was, my explanation — “it’s about a woman who’s been imprisoned in a bunker for 15 years and when she gets freed, she moves to New York but she hasn’t been in the real world for 15 years so doesn’t know what a lot of things are and also, it’s Jon Hamm who imprisoned her” — sounded weird but don’t be fooled, because this show is great!  Titus is my favorite.

The Peach Pit from Pizzeria Lui

I’m not joking when I say I’ve been lusting over this pizza since LAST summer.  We didn’t manage to get over to Pizzeria Lui until after this special was gone, so I’d been hoping and praying they’d bring it back this year and they did!  Last night, my sister came over to give me a manicure (!!!!) and Joey was kind enough to go pick us up some pizza.  Biting into that warm peach, creamy ricotta, salty prosciutto and spicy honey felt like a dream come true!

Tell me what you’re reading, eating, watching or listening to these days and please please have a wonderful weekend!